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Phillies’ Aaron Nola gets surprising endorsement from Vic Fangio
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- Phillies’ Aaron Nola gets surprising endorsement from Vic Fangio
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During Tuesday's press conference, Vic Fangio , defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, chose not to talk about football, but about baseball. The coordinator praised the performance of Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies after the pitcher delivered his best outing of the year against the New York Mets .
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"Who woulda thought Nola would pitch that good last night? Every game's a new adventure," Fangio said during his session with reporters.
Nola shut down the Mets offense across six innings; the outing stood in sharp contrast to a difficult 2025 campaign, during which he has dealt with injuries and inconsistency, carrying a 6.24 ERA with a 4-8 record.
The Phillies starter began the season on a rough note, posting a 6.16 ERA across nine starts before landing on the injured list. After missing three months, he returned with a tough outing against the Washington Nationals , surrendering six runs in just 2.1 innings. He rebounded somewhat in his next start against Washington, but later gave up 10 earned runs combined in back-to-back games against the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers .
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Against New York, however, Nola delivered the kind of performance Philadelphia desperately needed. The Phillies are battling for the postseason without Zack Wheeler , and having a healthy, effective Nola could be critical to their aspirations. His six-inning gem helped reduce the team's magic number to 11 in the race for the National League East crown.
The press conference later turned back to football, when Fangio addressed Jalen Carter's ejection for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during Week 1.
"Well, to be considered a leader, actions speak louder than words. And he's got to speak with his actions," Fangio said when asked about Carter's maturity and leadership.
"It was a mistake that happened on my side. It just won't happen again," Carter said. "I feel bad, just for my teammates and the fans out there. I'm doing it for them. I'm doing it for my family, also. They showed the most love. You heard them out there today," he added, according to CBS Sports.
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The incident drew immediate attention, with Carter apologizing afterward and Prescott clarifying that he had no intention of spitting on his opponent. Fangio's firm stance highlighted his emphasis on accountability, though his praise for Nola earlier in the day captured the unique bond shared by Philadelphia's teams and their fans.
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